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Design for Manufacturability (DFM) provides an overview of Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) techniques,Ìýused to minimize product costÌýthrough design and process improvements. DFM is open to all mechanical engineering students. Students will work on two major projects during the semester:

1. The first will be a reverse engineering project where students will choose an existing product and determine how it was producedÌýand investigate why certain manufacturing processes were selected based on different DFMA metrics.
2. The second project will be to apply DFMA techniques to a novel product. If DFM is taken as part of the Graduate Design Track, students will use this second project to further develop their design concepts from APD. At the end of the course, students will have a better understanding of how products are made and the economics involved in the manufacturing processes.Ìý

Advanced Product Design (APD) is offered in the fall semester. APD introduces the processes and methods for designing productsÌýincludingÌýneed-finding and need-specification, ideation and idea selection, design thinking/user-centered design, human factors, sketching, pretotyping, user feedback, prototyping, intellectual propertyÌýand product launch. Teams of three to fourÌýstudents will design and build a novel product throughout the semester.ÌýWe encourage Advanced Product Design students to carry their product concepts forward to MCEN 5045: Design for Manufacturability in the spring semester to take the next step toward a real product launch.Ìý

Advanced Product Design is a pre-requisite for Graduate Design (MCEN 5065, MCEN 5075), a two-semester design experience centered around an industry-sponsored project that includes: problem definition and specifications, determining design requirements, user feedback, alternative design concepts, engineering analysis, concept prototypes, and CAD drawings.Ìý

Note:ÌýEnrollment is by application only through the ME department. Please apply through the .Ìý

Graduate DesignÌýis taught by multiple design faculty. This two-course sequence is offered in the fall and spring semesters following Advanced Product Design (MCEN 5055) and Design for Manufacturability (MCEN 5045). Graduate Design consists of teams of three to fourÌýstudents working on aÌýdesign project. The end result of this project is fully tested functional hardware with accompanying documentiation. In many cases, the project hardware will be representative of the final manufactured product.

The projects will come from various sources, such as industry, non-profit organizations, student concept for an entrepreneurship product, technology transfer, corporate grants and more. Past sponsors have includedÌýConMed, Covidien, Terumo BCT, Medtronic, Agilent, Sandia National Labs, Oracle, NIST, Department of Surgery, Department of Neurosurgery and Los Alamos National Lab. Examples of past projects are intellectual property (IP) sensitive. In fact, several patent applications have been filed by industry partners with students as named inventors on these applicationsÌýand several products have gone into full-scale production.Ìý

While the course focuses on team design projects, formal class time discussions will center on design heuristics, project management, design trends,Ìýfailure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), entrepreneurship and oral presentation skills.Ìý

Optimal Design of Mechanical Components is a technical elective that applies linear and nonlinear optimization methods to the design of mechanical components and systems. This course also examines unconstrained and constrained optimization as well as the formulation of objective functions, including cost, weight, response time and deflection. Students applyÌýknowledge to gears, springs, camsÌýand linkages.Ìý ​

First-Year Engineering Projects is an interdisciplinary, hands-on design/build/test course for engineering students who are within their first year in the program. Through this course, students put engineering theory into practice earlyÌýby working in teams​​ to design, buildÌýand test new products and inventions.Ìý

Computer-Aided Design and Fabrication introduces engineering design graphics. Students learnÌýa contemporary computer-aided design (CAD) software application and relevant engineering graphics concepts, such as orthographic projection, sections, engineering drawing practices, geometric dimensioning and tolerancingÌýand an introduction to manufacturing methods. This course entails a final design project using rapid prototyping.

Component Design teaches students to applyÌýmechanics and materials science to the detailed design of various machine elements including shafts, bearings, gears, brakes, springsÌýand fasteners. This courseÌýemphasizes the application of mechanical components in engineering practice and open-ended design problems and includes hands-on final design projects.

Senior Design is a two-semesterÌýcapstone design experience. This team-based course aims to emulateÌýengineering projects that students will encounter asÌýentry-level engineers. Each student project is eitherÌýexternally sponsored by industry, government or another organization or an entrepreneurial project. Students experience the design process first-hand, gaining experience inÌýproblem definition, determining design requirements, alternative design concepts, engineering analysis, proof-of-concept prototypes, CAD drawings, refinement of a prototype, design optimization, fabrication, testingÌýand evaluation. Senior Design also places a strong emphasis on professionalism with several occasions to acquire critical written and verbal communication skills.ÌýStudents have the unique opportunity to work with a group of five to sixÌýpeer students and receive mentorship fromÌýa mechanical engineering faculty advisor and an industry mentor from the sponsoring company,Ìýgovernment agency, or non-profit organization.ÌýThis course is required for all undergraduate mechanical engineering students.Ìý

Mechatronics and Robotics is a technical electiveÌýthat focuses on design and construction of microprocessor-controlledÌýelectromechanical systems.ÌýLectures review critical circuit topics, introduce microprocessor architecture and programming, and discuss sensor and actuator component selection, robotic systemsÌýand design strategies for complex, multi-system devices.Ìý Lab work reinforces lectures and allows hands-on experience with robotic design.ÌýStudents must design and build an autonomous robotic device.Ìý

Optimal Design of Mechanical Components is a technical elective that applies linear and nonlinear optimization methods to the design of mechanical components and systems. This course also examines unconstrained and constrained optimization as well as the formulation of objective functions, including cost, weight, response time and deflection. Students applyÌýknowledge to gears, springs, camsÌýand linkages.Ìý ​

Design for Community is a technical elective that functions as a full-featured engineering design consultancy, simultaneously providing students the experience they need to succeed and helping clients move their product or idea forward.ÌýÌý